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Rating: 
Summary: Why did I read this book?
Review: After reading the praise given the author by others I'm almost intimidated to report that this book was just too very much. I found it tiring, no exhausting is a better description and ultimately confusing. I felt in order to benefit from the information given I had to immerse myself in it to a depth I do not wish to go. Perhaps I just wasn't ready for it but then again...
Rating: 
Summary: a great teacher
Review: Anyone who can take the complex and convoluted body of Jewish Mystical teachings and create a very readable and accessible work that you can put into practice in your daily life deserves praise. I found the history and correspondences with Eastern mysticism interesting.
Rating:
Summary: a great teacher
Review: Laibl Wolf is in my opinion among the great spiritual teachers of our time-- on a par with Thich Nhat Hanh. He is articulate and clear, uplifting and generous, and without simplifying, makes complicated and esoteric material accessible. I only wish that Amazon also would carry his wonderful books on tape and videos!
Rating:
Summary: Great foundational work
Review: Rabbi Wolf begins with an overview and his credentials...he is a disciple of Rebbe Schneerson and a lifelong student of Judaism and Kabbalah. This is important to know when you see how many phony 'experts' there are on Kabbalah. He also writes about the history of Jewish mysticism and points out where there is controversy.
Then he dealves into the structure of the Kabbalistic 'universe' the ten Sefirot flowing through four worlds. He offers meditations and exercises to enhance one's understanding of the concepts. He describes them in psychological terms, but reassures the reader that these concepts are infinitely large and infinitely small.
Halfway through the book I was inspired to purchase several more books on the subject. That is the best recommendation I can give
Rating: 
Summary: Honest and sincere...
Review: The voice that Rabbi Wolf uses in this book and his writing style make it accessible and enjoyable to read. A wonderful introduction to the kabbalistic "Tree of Life" or Sfirot. Each chapter is dedicated to a sfirah or point on the tree and they are described in great detail. Beyond that, the author takes the theory out of the abstract metaphysical realm and uses illustrations that apply to everyday life and we see how the metaphysical interacts with the physical. There are some wonderful, practical meditations in this book that I still use often and share with others as often as I can. Great read!
Shortly after finishing the book, I had the opportunity to hear Rabbi Wolf speak during a USA tour. He is as well-spoken, knowledgable, caring, and passionate in person. I agree with other reviewers who say that he is "a teacher of our times."
Rating:
Summary: "Mystical Messianism"
Review: This book provides an excellant summary of the author's very influential school of mysticism, which is the largest school of Jewish meditation in the world today. Rabbi Wolf, is the most most prominent teacher of Jewish meditation in Australia, and is now one of the better known in Israel and the US as well. He discusses the entire system of Lubavitch meditation, the name of his sect and many teachings of his late master, the Lubavicher Rebbe, Menachem Schneerson, who died in 1994.He provides a good solid introduction to the 4 worlds, the 10 emanations from them and how to use each for meditative visualization. He provides a wonderful discussion of the psyhological dynamics of meditation, and each of the 10 emenations or sephirot in Hebrew. However, he does little to discuss how meditation is part of prayer in Judaism, or the relation of both to actual, as well as spiritual healing. Further, there is little discussion in the work of the positive transformiing effects of Jewish ritual and custom on a person's karma or providence as it is known in Jewish tradition. For a discussion of these and related subjects, such as collective karma and divine providence and how they have worked out across time in the life of the Jewish people, please see "Jewish History and Divine Providence: Theodicy and the Oddyssey" by this writer, available here on Amazon.
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